


I Don't Remember the River

by Ronoken



Series: The Miraculous World of Caline Bustier [3]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Caline Bustier deserves a raise, Caline Bustier is the queen we deserve, Conversations, Dealing With Loss, Gen, Hot Cocoa, Identity Reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-05
Updated: 2020-03-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:06:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23023723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ronoken/pseuds/Ronoken
Summary: Caline Bustier just wants to go home, but after an akuma attack, she finds herself with a soaking wet and miserable Adrien Agreste. As conversations ensue, Caline starts to realize how much her kiddo is shouldering.A one-shot about dealing with loss and finding common ground.There's also a stuffed giraffe monster with the head of a taco. You know, for the kids.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Caline Bustier, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: The Miraculous World of Caline Bustier [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1654729
Comments: 48
Kudos: 452
Collections: The What To Do Series





	I Don't Remember the River

Caline Bustier hated working late.

It was a necessary evil of teaching. If you assigned papers, tests, and quizzes for your students, then eventually you had to buckle down and grade them. The tests and quizzes weren’t so bad, but the papers?

Each time Caline realized she had essentially committed herself to reading 300+ pages of the same slipshod writing on a topic, she died a little inside.

This was why she was only just leaving the school at 7:00 PM instead of shortly after her students had skipped out. She was tired and had a bad case of eye strain, but she had finished.

What she would never admit to, and what no one knew, was that sometimes if a paper was particularly hard to read, Caline would randomly underline passages as she skimmed and assign a general grade based on what she had gleaned in 30 seconds.

This may have happened more than once.

Caline was busy checking her phone to see what specials were at the local market when the sky overhead rumbled and then opened up. She scurried to a nearby awning and hid as she frantically tried to wrestle her lime green umbrella from the clutches of her oversized beige teaching bag. It was a brutal fight, but she eventually won.

As the rain continued to come down in a torrent, she thought she heard something unusual over the normal evening din of traffic and pedestrians. Something almost like…

An explosion rocked the park across the street.

 _‘Yeah, like that,’_ she thought to herself as she crouched and covered her head.

Through the rain, she could make out two shapes, one black and one red. They were busy darting back and forth across the lawn as what looked like a stuffed giraffe with the head of a taco was busy shooting ice beams at them.

“What the actual Hell?” Caline muttered. Sometimes, Hawkmoth was on point with his akumas. Some of them were themed, while others were scary. Her own akumatization had haunted her for a while afterwards. She didn’t like to talk about it, but she actually did remember bits of what had happened. It mostly came to her in dreams.

This one however was the rare, third type of akuma. The let’s-throw-things-at-the-wall-and-see-if-they-stick akuma. Caline guessed that Hawkmoth either had a fever dream or had possessed a kid with severe ADHD.

“Lucky charm!” Ladybug called out. One flash of light later, and Caline saw what looked like a giant needle and thread plop into her hands.

“Seriously?!” Ladybug screamed as another blast shot the lamp post beside her. The young heroine leapt out of the way and landed beside Chat Noir, who was busy swatting the tacobomination with his staff.

Caline watched with an almost morbid fascination. Seeing the heroes of Paris in action was always a treat, but for her, it was more than that. She loved seeing the dynamic duo problem solve and work together. She also loved that they almost never seemed to lose their sense of humor, regardless of the nightmare that was in front of them.

Caline kept focusing on the needle and thread. “What is she supposed to do with that? I mean, she could stab the thing, I guess. I wonder, have they ever gone too far in fighting an akuma? Can an akuma even _be_ stabbed? I… Ohhhhh, nice.”

Caline watched as Chat Noir held the giraffe-taco monster down with his staff while Ladybug sewed its feet together. It _was_ a stuffed animal, after all.

“The akuma is in the taco. I’m calling it right now,” Caline muttered. Sure enough, Chat Noir slammed the taco shell with his staff and a purple butterfly came fluttering out. One purification and swarm of magic bugs later, and the park was back to normal.

Caline smiled warmly as her two favorite kiddos fist bumped.

Ladybug took off pretty quickly. Probably because she was almost out of time, or maybe she realized that standing in the pouring rain wasn’t doing her any favors. Chat Noir however was looking around frantically. He stopped when he focused on something near Caline, and then he charged.

Caline let out an ‘eep!’ as Chat Noir sailed towards her, and then right past her and into the alley she was standing beside. She wondered if he even registered her in the rain and darkness.

There was a quick flash of green light from the alley. Caline smiled and was about to move on to give her favorite model-slash-cosplayer-slash-hero some privacy, but then she spotted it.

A silver sedan had just rounded the corner and was slowly coming up the street.

Caline was familiar with Adrien’s handlers. She honestly couldn’t get a read on either of them, but she definitely disliked the woman more. The gorilla that drove Adrien around? He was on the fence, as far as Caline was concerned. She had noticed him shuttling Adrien and his friends around Paris on more than one occasion. She figured it was just his job to look scary.

The woman, though? She looked like she _enjoyed_ being scary.

Without even thinking about it, Caline wandered in front of the alleyway entrance and tilted her umbrella to cover as much of it as she could at her height. To avoid suspicion, she slipped her phone out of her pocket and pretended to check it. Then she checked it for real. She was admittedly addicted to social media.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the silver sedan slowly cruise by. She could practically feel two sets of eyes on her as the car rolled past, but then just as quickly, it rounded the corner and disappeared.

Caline let out a sigh. She hadn’t even realized she had been holding her breath, to be honest.

“It’s safe. You can come out, now,” she called to the alley behind her.

A moment later, she saw a completely drenched and forlorn-looking Adrien Agreste emerge from the shadows. He looked like a puppy that had been left out all night, and Caline’s heart instantly melted.

“Oh my God, look at you!” Caline grabbed the surprised boy by the arm and dragged him down the sidewalk to the nearest café. She ushered him inside and thankfully, it wasn’t that crowded. She found a seat away from the counter, shook out her umbrella, and then half-shoved Adrien into a chair before taking off her coat and draping it over his shoulders.

“Here, this should help you warm up. Now, you wait right here while I get you something from the counter. Is there anything you’d like?”

A small voice said, “Is there any Camembert?”

Adrien instantly tensed.

Caline smiled and nodded. “There sure is, Adrien. You might want to speak up, though. Your voice sounded so tiny I almost didn’t hear you.”

One quick trip to the counter later, and Adrien found himself in front of a hot cocoa, some aged Camembert, some bread, and a scone.

“The scone is mine,” Caline said as she grabbed it and took a bite. “Oh yeah. That’s what was missing. Mmm! God.” She took a swig from her own mug of cocoa and watched as Adrien took a long sip from his own cup.

Oddly, half the cheese was already gone. Funny; Caline didn’t even notice him reach for it.

“Did, um, how did you know I was in the alley?” Adrien asked. Caline noticed that his face had drained of color.

“I happened to be walking by just as that sedan came pulling up and thought to myself, ‘Why, that looks like one of my students!’ Looks like I was right. What a coincidence.”

“Yeah,” Adrien said. “What a coincidence.”

Adrien eyed her for a second while she gave him her best casual look in return. Neither one was willing to budge. It was a stalemate.

At least it was before a tiny voice in Adrien’s shirt pocket called out, “Is there anymore cheese?”

Caline coughed and looked away as she pretended she hadn’t heard anything. Adrien closed his eyes and let out a sting of curses under his breath. He quickly grabbed the remaining cheese on the table and shoved it in his pocket.

Caline cleared her throat. “So, Adrien. Are y…”

There was a tiny burp from Adrien’s pocket.

They stared at each other for a solid ten seconds.

“…Excuse me?” Adrien said in a small voice.

Caline blinked, staring at his shirt pocket.

“You’re excused.”

Another few seconds passed

Caline shook her head and decided to focus. She looked Adrien straight in the eye. “Are you okay?” Caline asked, her voice dripping with concern. Adrien normally looked like a male model. Mostly because he _was_ a male model, but more than that. He always looked so put together.

Tonight, though…

His hair was messy, and there were circles under his eyes. He didn’t just look like he’d been out in the rain. He looked unkempt. Caline couldn’t recall _ever_ seeing Adrien looking unkempt.

“Yeah,” Adrien managed. “I’m fine, Ms. Bustier. Thank you for asking, and for the food. I’m okay, really.”

Caline nodded and kept her focus on her cocoa. “You know the best part about not being in school?”

Adrien raised an eyebrow as he picked up a piece of bread to munch on. “No, what?”

“Well,” Caline said as she took a sip. “I can just come out and say you’re full of shit, for one.”

Adrien choked on his bread as Caline set her mug down and reached across the table to pat the poor boy on the back. “Sorry! Sorry about that. I remember the first time _I_ realized teachers can actually swear. I’ll try not to do it again, but real talk. You look like something the cat dragged in.”

Pun intended.

Adrien coughed and shook his head. “It’s okay. You, um, you just caught me off guard. That’s all.”

They sat in silence for a while. Adrien fiddled with his mug of cocoa before asking, “So, aren’t you going to ask me why I was in that alley?”

Caline gave a small shrug. “Aren’t you going to ask me why I hid you from your handlers?”

Adrien frowned and considered it. “I guess… I guess this week has just been harder for me than I thought it would be, that’s all.”

“Oh?” Caline asked.

Adrien took a breath, his eyes staying focused on his mug of cocoa. “So, I don’t want to bother you with anything, but…”

“Adrien,” Caline said in her teacher voice. Adrien looked up to see her giving him the most earnest look he had felt in quite some time. “You’re one of my kiddos. My entire job is to help protect and guide you and your friends through this period of your life. So, if something is wrong? If something is bothering you? You can tell me. I promise no matter what, no matter _who_ your father is, _nothing_ you tell me will leave this table unless you want it to.”

Adrien had heard things like that before from other adults, but something about the look in Ms. Bustier’s eyes told him this time was different. That this person truly cared and meant it when they said they were there to help.

There was only one other person Adrien knew that could make him feel that level of trust.

That being said, Adrien was willing to move that number to two.

“This week is my mother’s birthday,” Adrien said in a small voice. “She’s been… Gone for a bit now, and most of the time I can deal with it, but sometimes? Sometimes it’s hard. Sometimes she’s right there when I close my eyes, and I guess I feel a bit overwhelmed by it. That’s all.”

Caline listened carefully, and then, her attention focused on her scone, she said, “Would you like to hear a story?”

Adrien looked at her and nodded.

“So, when I was a little girl, my dad died of a heart attack.”

Adrien’s eyes widened. “I’m so sorry,” he began. Caline held up a hand to stop him.

“Don’t be. I was really young and honestly don’t remember much of him. My mother, though? She was my world growing up. She took care of me, raised me as best she could. She taught me about tying my shoes and shaving my legs. Driving. Boys. Everything. She was my whole world, and I loved her to pieces.”

Caline took a small sip of her cocoa. Idly, she noted the rumbling of thunder outside. The storm wasn’t letting up.

“So fast forward to grad school. I’m working hard on my thesis, trying to get everything in order, and I keep forgetting to come home. Mom keeps calling me each week, though. I tell her about my course load and my papers and my thesis prep and she listens, and never once do I notice that she keeps telling me to stay on campus. She kept telling me, ‘you need to focus on finishing. Come home when you’re done.’”

Caline paused. Adrien noticed that her face had become a bit more closed off, but she wiped a bit at the edge of her eye and continued. “So, one day I get an angry call from my uncle. He’s demanding to know why I’m not at home, and I tell him I’m a week away from presenting my thesis and that things are busy, and then he just says, ‘your mother is in the hospital.’ And just like that, I’m home. I made it there in three hours. Dropped everything.”

“What happened?” Adrien asked.

“…She had lymphoma. She had been fighting it for a couple months, but it had been aggressive and chemo wasn’t doing anything. When I saw her she was so small. I didn’t think people could get that small or frail, but she... She looked, she was so... _Empty_. That’s the only word that sums it up. She looked like she had been emptied.”

Caline took a sip of her cocoa.

“She told me she hadn’t wanted me to know. And, well, I lost it. I screamed at her. I told her that wasn’t fair, that it was my decision and not hers, and how dare she take what time we had from me. And then, and then she took my hand and it felt _so frail_ and she said, ‘My whole life has been taking care of you. If I had said anything, you would have rushed home and taken care of me right back, and you can’t do that.’ She said I was _so_ close to finishing school and getting my degree, and she knew that I would have dropped out in a second to tend her. I told her that my schooling didn’t matter, and she squeezed my hand and said that, that the best thing I could do wasn’t to take care of her, but to pay that love forward and take care of everyone else. She made me promise right there and then that I would, and I’ve never let go of that. Ever.”

Adrien felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. “What happened to her?” He asked in a quiet voice.

“She promised that if I could finish school, she would hang on. So, I went back, did my dissertation, rushed home… I went straight to the hospital and spent the night there with her. She asked me to read to her. She picked _The Great Gatsby_. It had been her favorite in high school. I curled up in the crappy hospital chair beside her bed and started to read, and after a couple hours I drifted off.”

Caline took a long breath.

“She died sometime in the night. Maybe while I was reading, I don’t know. But she kept her promise. And I finished school.”

Adrien felt something wet on his cheeks, and realized that he was weeping. He wiped his face with a napkin while Caline wiped her nose.

“I am so sorry, Ms. Bustier. That must have been awful. I can’t imagine what that was like.”

“Can’t you?” Caline asked.

The silence that followed said more than Adrien ever could out loud.

“The worst part, well, for me anyway, was after. I had lost my rock in life, and there was no one who would listen. Not my uncles or aunts, not my cousins, no one. They were all too uncomfortable to hear what I had to say, so they just didn’t. So, I didn’t say anything for the longest time, and _that_ ,” Caline pounded the table for emphasis, “was what nearly destroyed me.”

She locked eyes with Adrien. “I eventually got the release I needed in counseling, but it did a number on me, kiddo. I look put together in the classroom, but that’s for the benefit of you all. My personal life is a disaster, and to the day I die I will always attribute at least part of that to the fact that I let my guilt and self-doubt eat me alive for years.”

She took a long swig of her cocoa and then patiently waited to see what Adrien would do. She could tell he was processing everything she had said and was weighing something out in his mind. Right about when Caline was beginning to wonder if she had made a mistake, he started to speak.

“When I was little,” he said in a near-whisper, “mom would take me to the banks of the Seine for walks. She would tell me stories about the city, about the people who made it great and all. Sometimes, she would tell me stories about trolls and fairies that lived under the bridges. She always had a different story for each bridge, and she remembered each one. Every time I’d ask, she would just start in. It was nice.”

Adrien looked across the table at Caline and gave her a small smile. “Is it weird that this is what I’ve held on to the strongest? I can’t remember her face as much anymore. It’s been a little over a year, and already she’s slipping a bit and I feel like a monster for forgetting, but I remember her stories. They’re the first thing that come to mind for me when I think of her. I can feel her hand in mine. I remember the smell of the river and the sound of her heels on the pavement. I remember getting ice cream and falling and scraping my knee and reading stories there with her she taught me to read there and…”

Adrien’s voice caught in a choked sob as he crumpled at the table. Instantly, Caline was on her feet. She moved to his side and swooped him into the biggest bear hug she could manage. “It’s okay,” she said in a soothing voice as his whole body was wracked with sobs. She held him as tightly as she could. At that moment, if anything had come through the café door to threaten him, she would have ripped it in two.

She held him and rubbed his back as he had a long, long cry. Based on his reaction, Caline wondered if this was the first time he had managed to open up to anyone. That thought alone sickened her.

Eventually he started nodding, and she let him go. She went to the counter and grabbed a wad of napkins before coming back and handing them to him. He messily wiped his face and mumbled a thank you as she sat back down.

“Thanks, Ms. Bustier. I didn’t know how badly I needed that.”

Caline kept her focus on him. “Adrien, have you spoken with anyone about this? What about your father?”

 _That_ was the wrong thing to ask, she quickly realized. The change in his body language was instant and unsettling. He went rigid, his face locking up as he shook his head. “He, um, he doesn’t really like to talk to me. About it.”

Caline nodded in understanding. “I’m guessing you’ve tried?”

Adrien nodded.

“Well, do you have anyone in your life you can open up to? Anyone at all?”

A wistful look crossed Adrien’s face for a moment. “There is one person. A, um, a friend from work. She would listen if I asked her to, but…”

Caline raised an eyebrow. “But?”

“We don’t like to talk to each other about our home lives,” he said (somewhat unconvincingly).

“I see,” Caline said with a nod. “What about your friends? I see you with Nino and Ayla a lot. And Marinette too, if I’m not mistaken.”

Adrien smiled. _‘There it is,’_ Caline thought to herself.

“They’re really great, but I’ve never really, um, I don’t like to bother people with what’s going on, you know? It feels wrong to me.”

“Adrien,” Caline said. “If Nino came to you and needed to unload about problems with his homelife, would you listen?”

“Of course I would,” Adrien said defensively.

“And if Marinette needed you for whatever reason, would you be there to listen to her?”

Adrien blushed a bit and nodded. “If she even wanted me to. Sure. I’m not sure she would, though.”

Caline raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing. She was still their teacher, after all. While the line for professionalism was seriously blurred for her, it was still there. She decided not to push. For now.

“What about, and don’t feel like you have to answer this one, but is there someone special you can confide in?” Caline asked.

Adrien frowned. “There is this one girl, Kagami? She and I, I think we’re dating, but… It’s complicated. I like her, and I know she likes me, but it’s… There’s a lot going on there. She’d listen, but I feel like it would be out of obligation, you know? Not because she wanted to.”

Caline nodded. She knew all too well what that felt like.

“Look, I’m not a psychologist, but I am here,” Caline said. “If you need to talk to someone, or unload, just find me, okay? The last thing I want is for someone to go through what I did and not have anyone to talk to. After all,” Caline smiled. “My job is to take care of everyone else, and that includes you, Mr. Agreste.”

Adrien smiled at that, and when he did, Caline noted that he finally looked a bit more like his old self.

“Say,” Caline said as she took out her phone and glanced at the time. “It’s a school night, kiddo. Late night rendezvous with your teacher are not the type of thing I want to see pop up on the internet tomorrow, so for the sake of my career, why don’t you call your keepers and get a ride home?”

Adrien nodded in agreement and took out his phone to text Nathalie. “Do you need a ride, Ms. Bustier? I’m sure my driver wouldn’t mind dropping you off.”

Caline shook her head. “Nope. Hard pass there, kiddo. I live a couple blocks down the way. It’s fine.”

“Are you sure?” Adrien asked. As if to emphasize his point, the windows beside them shook with a crash of thunder.

Caline eyed the torrential rain outside. “…Yep. Totally good. You get home, Adrien. And don’t forget to work on that group project I assigned you and Marinette. I expect a status report by Friday.”

She could ship them a little bit, she decided. A small voice in the back of her head noted that most of Paris did that online already, but she quickly shooed it away.

Adrien’s phone chimed as a set of headlights pulled up in front of the café. Adrien waved to the car and then nodded to Caline. “Thank you again, Ms. Bustier. You really helped me out tonight.”

Caline watched him run to his car.

“I guess I did,” she said to herself. “But I bet I can do a little more, cat boy.”

That night, after a terribly cold and wet walk home, Caline found herself in her favorite button-up PJ’s and sitting with a bottle of coconut rum in one hand and a Gabriel brand purse in the other. In front of her, the tiny fireplace in her apartment roared.

She tossed the purse in and took a huge swig from her bottle. “Burn, motherfucker, burn!” She yelled at the offending handbag.

In the morning, sober Caline would question why she hadn’t just sold her Gabriel brand clothing online or to a thrift store, but sober Caline wasn’t home at the moment.

She glanced behind her at her stuffed bear and pointed. Then she pointed again, this time actually at the bear. “Not anothers words, Mr. Bearitone. That… _Fucking_ peacock of a man can’t even talk to his cat? Son? Catson? God, is that why his costume looks like that? Is he projecting? Fuck… Fuck Gabriel Agreste. Yeah.”

Another purse went up in flames.

“YEAH!” Caline shouted.

Sober Caline would be having words with her.

***

“Good morning class,” Caline said in a slightly quieter voice than normal. Everything was so loud and bright. So, so bright. “So today, we’re going to do something special. Who here as a favorite poem?”

The entire class raised their hand. Even Kim. Caline smirked; she hadn’t expected that.

“I love poetry,” she said to them. “I love the release it provides. The ability to convey your thoughts and feelings into something manageable. Something you can hold and read, hear and speak. A poem is like a memory of your emotions that doesn’t fade, and that’s why I think they’re so powerful.”

Several of her students smiled at that. “That was so beautiful,” Rose said in a dreamy voice. Next to her, Julika nodded in agreement.

“So,” Caline said with a clap of her hands (which she regretted WHY WAS EVERYTHING SO LOUD THIS MORNING?) “I want you to grab a notepad and something to write with. The storms from last night seem to have rolled away, and it’s a beautiful morning out. We’re taking a short class field trip.”

The class cheered as they grabbed their things and started shuffling to the door. Adrien shot Ms. Bustier a curious glance when she instantly slipped on a pair of sunglasses as they got outside, but he didn’t say anything about it. Caline noted that he looked notably better today. Much more Adrien than normal.

“Ms. Bustier?”

Oh yeah. The other one.

Caline turned her attention to Marinette, who was looking at her with concern written all over her face. “Yes dear?” Caline asked. “Is everything okay?”

Marinette looked like she wanted to ask her something but wasn’t sure how to. Finally, she said, “I just noticed that there were a lot of videos of the attack last night. Did you see it? It was all over the Ladyblog.”

Caline nodded. “I sure did. On that site that you just said. Yes.”

So smooth.

Caline called out to the front of the line. “Alix, we’re going left. Left! Alix, quit trying to race that delivery truck! Alix… And she’s gone. Great.”

“She’ll be back,” Marinette said as they walked. “So, about last night…”

Caline glanced at Marinette.

“It looked like there were a lot of people around for that attack.”

Caline frowned. It had been raining, and while her vantage point hadn’t been the best, she didn’t recall seeing anyone else there.

“I guess so?” Caline said, unsure of where this was going.

Marinette bit her lip and fiddled with her hands a bit. “I just hope that no one got hurt last night. Like, anyone who was watching.”

‘ _Ohhhhhh_ ,’ Caline mentally said.

“I wouldn’t worry about it, dear. I’m sure if _anyone_ was there, they are just fine thanks to Ladybug and Chat Noir.”

Marinette looked Caline over quickly before relaxing and nodding to herself. “That’s good to hear,” she said before her arm was taken and she was dragged ahead by… Chloé?

Caline blinked.

_‘The fuck?’_

Caline thought about it for a second before shrugging it off. As of late, Caline had noticed that the bossy blonde had oddly been the only student who _hadn’t_ sided against Marinette during that whole Lila mess. Maybe something had happened there? Maybe Chloe had grown up a little?

Caline’s head hurt too much to focus on it.

It only took them a few minutes to reach the banks of the Seine. Caline led them to a spot with some picnic tables so they had a place to write, but then let them disperse. They had one hour to write something and then meet back with her.

Caline watched as the familiar pairs trotted off. Nino was with Alya, Juleka was with Rose, Marinette was…

Okay, seriously. What was going on?

Caline did her best not to pay attention to Chloé and Marinette arguing with each other at a nearby table.

She looked around and took a tally of where her students were in the event of an Akuma attack. It was a lovely morning, and she was willing to bet Hawkmoth would crap on it in due time. Probably with something loud, no doubt.

Sometimes, Caline did not like living in Paris.

Adrien was one of the only students that had _not_ paired off, Caline noticed. He was under a tree and focused intently on the paper in front of him. Caline smiled at that; he looked focused.

“Good,” she said to herself. “That’s what he needs right now.”

An hour later, her students gathered around and began reading their poems. Alix and Kim read short, rough pieces about speed. Sabrina read a shockingly long verse about independence, Juleka had a sonnet about roses…

And then Adrien stood up.

The class turned their attention to him, and he cleared his throat, clearly nervous. This caught Caline off guard. After all, wasn’t he used to being the center of attention?

“So,” Adrien began. “I, um, I wrote something, um, about the river.”

Caline smiled and gestured for him to continue. The class watched expectantly as he nodded and began reading.

“I don’t remember the shape of your currents, but I remember the feel of the waves on the shore.

I can see you when I close my eyes, but your waters are dark, and I lose sight of the bottom.

You keep changing, keep flowing in my thoughts. Something always there, but always slipping away.

Ducking under bridges, flowing around barges, kissing the shore where it has crumbled like lips on a bruise.

Are there secrets you’ve never shared with me? With anyone who has visited your banks?

Do trolls live under your bridges? Do fairies guard your curves?

I don’t remember the shape of your currents, but your waters are warm.

I don’t remember the babbling call of your water, but I remember how it felt on my ears.

Of everything I don’t remember, I remember how the river makes me feel, and for now, that’s all I need to know.”

Adrien was shaking as he read his piece. He looked up at his confused classmates, but ignored their quizzical stares (as well as the fact that Marinette’s eyes had managed to turn into giant stars) in favor of the warm smile from his teacher.

“Thank you, Adrien. That was lovely.”

The class clapped for several seconds as Adrien sat down. Alya stood up to read her piece next, but Caline didn’t hear it.

After everyone was done, the class was delighted to hear that they were excused for the day. Caline had informed them that she couldn’t see how they could pay attention in a stuffy classroom after being outside on such a perfect morning. This was partially true. It was also true that she wanted to get a coffee and a bagel from the Dupain-Chen bakery.

Caline had priorities, after all.

As the students were dispersing, Adrien came up to Caline. “Ms. Bustier?”

Caline smiled. “Yes Adrien? I liked your piece, by the way.”

Adrien blushed. “Thanks. I, um, I gave some thought to what you told me. I think, I think I’m going to try to talk to my father tonight.”

Caline felt a grin explode over her face. “That’s wonderful. Just remember, it’s okay to talk to people about things. I promise.”

Adrien blushed and held up his poem. “Um, do you think he’d mind if I read this to him? I mean, it’s not that good, but I think he might like it?”

“I think,” Caline said slowly, “that if a man can’t accept his son opening his heart to him, then he’s not much of a man to begin with.”

“Huh.” Adrien scratched the back of his head. “I, um hadn’t thought of it like that before but, huh. Oh! I, um, I think I might try talking to that coworker I told you about, too.”

“Oh?” Caline said. She did her best not to glance towards Marinette. The hapless girl had been hovering behind a tree watching Adrien for the last few minutes and Caline couldn’t tell if Marinette honestly believed she was being a master of stealth or not.

“Yeah,” Adrien said with a nod. “She’s been my friend for a while now, and I trust her. I trust her a lot. I think she’ll be okay if I just talk about how things are, you know?”

Caline smiled and nodded. “I believe in you, Adrien. You’re a good kid, and you have a good heart. If you think you should talk to them, then do it.”

Adrien grinned and said a quiet, “Thank you,” before heading off in the direction of Nino.

“Oh, Adrien?”

Adrien turned back to Caline.

“I believe I scheduled your review on your project for tomorrow. Maybe you and Miss Dupain-Cheng should use this time effectively?”

Caline heard a ‘meep!’ from the tree Marinette had been hiding behind. A moment later, she watched as a beet-red Marinette emerged and approached Adrien. She couldn’t hear what all was being said, but Adrien was smiling and laughing with her, and the two were walking together in the direction of Marinette’s home.

There were heroes in the city of Paris. Caline Bustier personally knew several of them. She knew they had superhuman strength and speed. They possessed magical powers beyond her understanding. They could lift a Buick and leap over tall buildings, fight monsters and save the day.

But they were also just kids. Kids who have been through things, who were learning as they went, and who didn’t have all the answers.

Hell, do any of us?

Caline knew she didn’t have all the answers for what was going on in her student’s lives, and that she probably never would. She was a momentary player on the stage that was their lives, and when they faced down their biggest challenges, she knew she wouldn’t be there.

But when they were hurt, or sad, or alone?

That was a different story.

Caline Bustier was a disaster of a human being, but she had one driving force behind her actions. One common thread that shined through, whether she meant it to or not. Because one night she made a promise while holding a hand that felt like paper but clutched her soul like iron.

She was Ms. Caline Bustier, high school teacher extraordinaire, and she would take care of everyone else.

That was her job, after all.


End file.
